New Home Infill in Ottawa West – 372 Whitby Ave

New homes command a premium price in Westboro. Raw land is so valuable that older homes in need of repairs will frequently be sold, torn down and new homes built in their place. Often there will be two semi detached homes on the raw land. Sometimes when the land is narrow a detached home will be build. The photo above is a good example of early infill projects where a property with sufficient side land would sever half the lot and permit the building of a detached home.

This home was build in 1990 at the beginning of the plateau years. Prices didn’t rise significantly during the 10 years period. After that prices took off in 2000 when interest rates went down to historic lows. What suggests this house was built 20 years ago?

The first tip that this is an early infill is the simple roof lines and the sunken garage floor. The use of old railway ties as retaining wall material was typical of the period. Today there are concrete brick and block products that do an excellent job of retaining earth without the soil contamination and wood rot problems. Designers and architects were experimenting with the placement of the garage in relationship to the house. Instead of putting it behind with a side lane it was placed inside the house because the lots were narrow and didn’t allow a side lane and the depth of the house increased due to the narrowness.


The attached inside entry became the new norm. This garage is partially submerged in the basement which is a good feature and above the living room, dining room and Kitchen are one great open living space. Very nice feature. Today that garage is on the main floor taking up taking up 244 square feet of living space. It makes for a narrow entry hall and frequently there is a powder 1.5 bathroom adjacent to the narrow hall.

The roof was replaced using superior shingles and underlay. Grace water shield was just introduced in the 1990s and it has proved very good at preventing damage to ceilings and walls due to ice daming on the exterior lower portion of roofs.

Other significant upgrades include new gas furnace and tank less Rennai hot water system. With three bedrooms three bathrooms, family room and great room this is good value for an updated home in centre Westboro at $614,000. 372 Whitby Ave

Executive Downtown Condos Ottawa

Rarely offered, executive Condos in downtown Ottawa Under 500K penthouse, low rise unit with views of Rideau River, Court Yard, Vanier Village, Rideau Tennis Club. Two balconies, Hardwood floors, freshly painted in designer colours, Southern Exposure, Two bed, two bath with additional loft for guests or office. Condo supplies fireplace wood. Elevator, Spectacular views!

Receive a complete list of executive condo units in central Ottawa North of the Queensway visit www.martinelder.ca and request your executive condo list. To learn what your home is worth or what STAGING will do for your home value. Call Martin Elder for a no obligation home evaluation. Knowledge and experience you can trust.

Provided courtesy of Martin Elder, Broker, Keller Williams Ottawa Realty 613-236-5959

Advantages of Hiring an Ottawa building inspector

Hiring a building inspector

In Ottawa the climate has extremes of winter freezing with mid January rains and summer hot spells that cause asphalt roads to ooze black tar. Home buyers should be aware that these extremes have an adverse effect on the exterior of a house shell. The roof shingles are made of asphalt and fiberglass with a granular top coat and the sun will dry out the shingle making it curl and fail. The winter will cause ice damming close to the eves of the roof and this will cause cold water to leak into the roof in winter and penetrate into the interior drywall.

The basement concrete or block foundation is exposed to additional freeze thaw cycles in the early winter unlike winters of 20 years ago when more snow insulated the ground from a deep penetrating freeze. I’ve seen basement walls crack and buckle from winter stress and it is expensive to rebuild a foundation wall. Assessing structural matters requires and in depth knowledge of building practice and force analysis.



Electrical wiring, insulation, furnaces and cooling systems are often a mixture of old and new. It takes experience to identify what is adequate and what could be dangerous. Your Ottawa real estate agent in conjunction with a certified building inspector will help to put it all in perspective and protect you from future difficulties.

Call now for the advantages of a pre-inspection for home sellers and for strategies to have the seller pay for the home inspection for the buyer. Be informed!

When to call your Ottawa Home Inspector, before or after an offer?

At today’s Open House I was asked when to do a home inspection, before submitting an offer or after?

That’s a great question. So much depends on the market energy and the ability of the buyer to perceive possible problems and solutions. Imagine if four people are lined up to make an offer on the Ottawa house you want? It is smart to ask your real estate agent in advance what experience they have with building inspectors, building practices, old and new and what their track record is with the building report once completed. What is a home inspection supposed to do?

I’d be inclined to secure the house you want with an accepted offer. Then I’d proceed with an inspection. This way the buyer can always renegotiate when something is discovered that causes concern.

There are two emotional peaks buyers and seller experience when moving through a purchase transaction. The offer stage is a big emotional stress for everyone, then it calms down a bit when both parties agree on a price and date. The building inspection is booked and another worrisome period begins. Many sellers don’t know what is in the attic or how the foundation is holding up. Who knows if the wiring is adequate or a safety hazard. Will the insurance company insure your Ottawa home? Just because the seller has lived in the house for 30 years doesn’t mean the buyer wants to inherit the problems!

Sometimes there are minor concerns that are taken care of by the seller before the sale closing date. Sometimes the price is reduced to compensate for larger problems. Your real estate professional is the key to “pulling it all together” .Talk about the Ottawa home buying process and discuss the “what ifs” with your agent.
      

Electrified mouse in the panel!

Preferred October Mortgage rates

Mortgage rates are very important because they affect a buyer’s ability to purchase or refinance a home. The current posted rates below show a surprise in that the two year rate is now slightly better than the one year rate. The big news is that between the least expensive short tern rate and the long term rate there is a difference in payment of $238 per month per $100K.

So if you had a $300,000 mortgage and you choose the short term over the long term you would save  $714. per month. Sweet!

This is what it would look like:

300k mortgage per month carrying cost ten year term  = $2,055.

300K mortgage per month carrying cost two year term = $1,341.

Savings————————————————————–  = $   714.

Term             Bank Rates          Rates I like!

1 YEAR               3.50%              2.89%

2 YEARS             3.55%              2.49%

3 YEARS             4.05%              2.89%

4 YEARS              4.79%            2.99%

5 YEARS              5.29%             3.29%

7 YEARS              6.35%            4.49%

10 YEARS            6.75%            4.79%

Call for a personal evaluation on your ability to qualify for a mortgage. Once you know how much you can comfortably finance it makes it a lot more fun to go out an buy your house! 613-236-5959 ask for Martin Elder, Broker at Keller Williams Ottawa Realty


Westboro Condos – Churchill Ave







Gracious steps lead to the front entrance of your new condo building. It is the first level unit as depicted left of the entrance. Master bedroom facing south and bathroom windows shown above the juniper bushes.
Recently built, this low rise condo in Ottawa West Westboro is ready to move into. choose from several available from a two or three bedroom and spa -like bathroom freshly painted. Hardwood flooring and Tiger textured granite counter tops in the kitchen make this a very attractive condo for the price! 

Low key energy efficient windows, casement style, freshly painted walls and darker stained hardwood are decorator features. Call for details and a list of services in the neighbourhood.
Tel: 613.296.8065

Affordable Condos Ottawa west

114 Valley Stream Drive Ottawa
Short Walking distance to Queensway Carleton Hospital and Valley Stream Manor. Easy access to public transit to Algonquin Collage or Bells Corners.





Nestled among beautiful mature conifer trees. Feed the birds..Private, quiet & safe. Bright end unit with additional west facing windows, inside entry to garage.





Three bedrooms, three bathrooms, en suite, spacious walk out from living room to the patio. Charming wood burning fireplace. Lots of basement storage!
Natural gas furnace
Central air conditioning

Price: $239,000.

Condo fee: $283.
For: Water, Management, Caretaker, Building Insurance, Snow removal.
Why rent? Hurry
Call 613-296-8065





Nicely maintained landscaping with fence wall to the right. There is a seldom used rail line on the other side.
Park like setting to grow some flowers. A great place to call home!

Ottawa Civic Hospital Rental

A rare Rental in Ottawa City Centre!
Located beside Civic Hospital on Carling Avenue and  close to Little Italy a short walk east to tempting restaurants and choice cafes. Dows Lake and the Experimental Farm are just a step across the street. Fabulous light filled executive Condo residence.  Warning! Very quiet and private. This is a micro Condo community choosing calm and reserve over wild and wicked. LOL





Choice Stainless appliances, granite counters. Hardwood floors & Wood fireplace. Four bedroom two en suite baths; all large and spacious. Walk in Closet, of course. Freshly painted and well maintained. Garage with inside entry and possible second car parking if asked for in a diplomatic way. Snow removal and condo fee included.





Rent $2,400. per month
One year minimum

Utilities extra

Condo fees included in rent
available immediately
Hurry! Call now. 613-296-8065

I am in a maze of boxes, what a mess, but I love being here!

A lovely note that reads like poetry!
Home buyer down sizing. Wishing to be close to work place and wanting privacy to cultivate a glorious perennial garden. Cute house, garage and good neighbourhood. 
Just received from a home buyer:
“I am in a maze of boxes, what a mess, but I love being here! Looking forward to making this house a home. Discovered lovely morning light comes through my bedroom window — here is yesterday’s dawn. thank you for your patience”
As a real estate professional, I want to help people make their dream home come true. I want to see them get to where they want to be in the least amount of fuss and pain. This was a great thank you note!
Martin

Westboro Village Detached Home

Presenting: A lovely Fraser Ave home a two story all brick home with detached garage, backing onto NCC parkland and located within sight of the Ottawa river on a quiet neighbourhood street. There is a long list of upgrades. Newer roof shingles, doors and windows. Note the special attention to detail in the choice of replacing the original window. I like the high efficiency gas furnace, renovated kitchen and bathrooms, but I especially like the gleaming hardwood flooring and wood fireplace. For a home backing onto the park the spacious deck invites morning coffee and a newspaper while listening to bird song. Great for families to have all three bedrooms on the second floor so Mom and Dad can say nighty night! Separate dining room and lower level family room, there is lots to like. Hurry , call for more details and arrange a visit. Freshly painted and ready for your next move…

More photos and information to follow. Call 613.296.8065